Bus riders in Kansas City, Mo., will have added security soon.
The Kansas City, Mo., Police Department is scheduled to sign an agreement with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority on Jan. 27 that will dedicate transit officers to the Kansas City, Mo. bus system.
Two new full-time Kansas City, Mo., police officers will complement 39 off-duty police officers already providing up to 100 hours a week of protection, depending on availability, according to a KCATA news release. The KCATA also will hire a full-time public safety manager with a law enforcement background.
Police will be able to respond to any incident on the bus system immediately, according to a spokesman.
These new transit officers will not be deployed on the KCATA bus system in Kansas City, Kan., according to a spokesman, but will only be in Kansas City, Mo.
“The safety of our drivers and the public is a core value of the KCATA,” said Robbie Makinen, CEO of the KCATA. “This agreement is being done in partnership with the Kansas City (Mo.) Police Department and KCATA. In the future, the ATA plans on reaching out with other law enforcement agencies in our service delivery area to see what partnerships we can generate.”
Sam Desue, chief operating officer for KCATA, said adding the transit officers will be a first for the KCATA.
“Our bus system is safe,” Desue said. “Our bold, new agreement with the Kansas City (Mo.) Police Department illustrates our commitment to ensuring public transportation remains safe. It also sends a message that we will not tolerate any illegal activity on our buses.”